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PRESS
RELEASE
Nº 2/02
THE
SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR OF THE IACHR ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN BEGINS
AN ON-SITE VISIT TO CIUDAD JUÁREZ IN THE REPUBLIC OF MEXICO
The
Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women at the Inter-American Commission
on Human Rights (IACHR), Ms. Marta Altolaguirre, will conduct an on-site
visit to Ciudad Juárez and to the Mexican capital, at the Government’s
invitation, on February 11 and 12, 2002.
The aim of the Special Rapporteur’s visit will be to analyze the
status of women’s rights in Ciudad Juárez.
During her visit, the Special Rapporteur will meet with Mexican state
officials, representatives of nongovernmental organizations, individuals
involved, and various sectors of civil society to gather information, both
in Ciudad Juárez and in the Federal District.
The Special Rapporteur will receive technical support from attorney
Elizabeth Abi-Mershed, Principal Specialist at the Commission. The
Special Rapporteur will conclude her visit on February 13, 2002, with a
press conference at which she will make some initial remarks on the
situation examined. The press
conference will take place in the Schubert Room of the Hotel Emporio (Paseo
de la Reforma Nº 124, Federal District), at 9:00 a.m. on February 13.
After concluding her visit, the Rapporteur will continue to evaluate
the information gathered so as to prepare a report on the topic for
consideration by the plenary Commission.
Ms. Altolaguirre, a member of the Commission, was named Special
Rapporteur in 2000 and currently serves as Vice President of the Commission.
Under the Rapporteur’s mandate, her tasks are to protect, and
promote greater respect for, the rights of women in the Hemisphere.
Her analysis focuses in particular on the degree to which the laws
and practices of OAS member states are consistent with the obligations of
equality before the law and nondiscrimination under the applicable
instruments. Those instruments
include, in particular, the American Convention on Human Rights (“American
Convention”), to which Mexico has been a party since 1981, and the
Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of
Violence against Women, or "Convention of Belém do Pará," which
Mexico ratified in 1998. The
IACHR is a principal organ of the Organization of American States (OAS),
composed of seven members elected in their personal capacity by the OAS
General Assembly. The Commission’s mandate is to promote the observance of
human rights in the Hemisphere according to parameters established in the
American Convention on Human
Rights. Among the commitments
undertaken by OAS member states and states parties to the Convention is that
of extending to the Commission all the necessary facilities to enable it to
carry out its observation missions with full autonomy in the pursuit of its
mandate. The Special
Rapporteur’s visit will be conducted under the authority established in
the American Convention and the Rules of Procedure of the IACHR. The
Special Rapporteur is grateful for the cooperation and facilities extended
by the Government of Mexico, nongovernmental organizations, the individuals
involved, and other civil society representatives in the planning and
execution of this visit. Washington, D.C., February 8, 2002 |
